Page 59 of SEAL by Fate

“You’re starting to scare me.” There was a new quiver to her tone.

“Don’t be scared. I just need to ask you a few questions and tell you something. Two years ago, I was on a foot chase after Phantom and I shot him in the leg. I would have caught him if a car hadn’t hit me. That’s why my knee is messed up.”

“Oh my goodness, Gray. That’s terrible.” And then something shone in her eyes and her skin paled. “You shot him. Oh noo…”

“I want to show you something.” He stepped into the office, grabbed the folder from the top drawer of the desk and returned to the kitchen where he found her sitting with hands clasped in her lap. He pulled out the chair across from her, dragged it closer and took a seat. “I need you to look at a few pictures for me. Okay?”

Wrinkles appeared between her brows. “Pictures?”

He slid out the photos and spread them out in front of her. “Just take a look and let me know if you recognize anyone.”

She pushed the pictures around, picking up each of them, and when she came to the fifth one, her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. “I-I think this is Duncan Hart. Yes…it is.” She laid the picture down.

“Duncan, as in your ex?”

“Yes. Tell me what’s going on, Gray. Why do you have a picture of Duncan? He was shot also, but he said…” A gasp fell off her lips. “Oh my…he’s Phantom, isn’t he?” Before he could even explain, she brought her hand up to her mouth to stifle any sound.

“Please. Look at the others.”

He could see the shake in her fingers as she pushed through the next few shots and then her brows creased. She picked up the last photo, holding it up. “This man. I’ve seen him. He was at the church. I thought it was odd because he should have been upstairs with the other guests, but he was watching me.”

“Are you sure?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

He grabbed his phone from his pocket and hit a number. It was answered on the second ring. “I have an ID…Phantom’s real name is Duncan Hart, or at least an alias…I’ll send over the address of his place and a church on Whispering Mountain that needs scoured…and by the way, we also have an ID of who he’s working with…Rani Maldez.”

After he clicked off, he saw her pale expression and he felt a stab in his gut. Why hadn’t he realized this before? It all made sense now. He’d fucked up.

Stacking the photos, he shoved them back into the folder. “It’s okay, Stormy. You’ve helped. Can you give me the address where Duncan lived? Any information you can think of.” He pushed over the folder and a pen. “Write it on here.”

“I-I can, but I don’t know anything about him. He was very private.”

“I’m sure he was.” He scowled. He couldn’t sit still, pacing the floor. Gray was tired of Phantom’s games. And the fact that the bastard had used Stormy in his scheme ripped through Gray, leaving a pain unlike anything he’d ever felt.

“He’s the man who’s planted bombs? He’s killed people?” Tears welled up in her eyes.

“I don’t think our meeting was an accident, Stormy.”

“But…that’s not possible. Duncan had no clue about the cabin. Or that you’d be on the mountain at that moment.”

Gray sat back in the chair, rubbing his brows. “Yeah, he could have. I was lured by an informant, just as you were given the keys by a woman. You said a wedding planner, right?”

“Yes, but that’s not possible. Is it? Oh no. Tiffany was in on this with Duncan?”

“I doubt her real name is Tiffany. Just as I don’t believe Dory was her real name either.”

Several expressions flitted across Stormy’s face before settling on confusion. “Duncan used me to get to you, didn’t he?” She shoved her chair back. The legs squealed across the wooden floor. “I led him to you. Didn’t I?” She stood and took several steps to the center of the room. She had lost most of her color and he wondered if she’d fall.

“Do you need your medicine?”

She gave her head a jerky shake.

Gray leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees while keeping his gaze glued on her. “You couldn’t have known. Hell, I’m not a newbie investigator and I missed the clues.” Hell, he hadn’t only missed the clues, but he played right into Phantom’s plans.

“How did you find out? Did you catch him? Please tell me he’s behind bars.” There was a deep penetrating anger to her voice. Gray understood. This would be hard to swallow, and yet he hadn’t told her the most horrifying news yet.

He gave his head a shake. “No, unfortunately not.”

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